The seven times Emma Swan was Regina Mills's unofficial plus 1
by anotherOUATwriter
Summary: (Or, how Emma Swan became family with Regina Mills in more than one way.) / Swan Queen Week
1. Lust

I know I'm way late for this. But I suffered from a mild whiplash in a car crash on monday, my doctor told me to stay away from computers to avoid making me sick. But fuck it, it's Swan Queen Week!

That being said, all my entries will be shorter than usual. They have all be corrected by my awesome beta Chris.

Hugs, and hope you enjoy.

M.

* * *

It's not like Emma didn't wish to see her grandfather happy. It's just that she hated when people used him for his wealth. Granted, Leopold White was not a saint, but he didn't deserve a gold-digger. Especially when the said gold-digger was the insufferable Cora Mills.

Cora had recently lost her husband, Henry Mills, leaving her as a fifty year old widow with not very much money. All the money went to his daughter, Regina.

The widow didn't spend much time mourning. Henry Mills hadn't been buried in the ground for longer than six months and Cora was already planning a wedding with Leopold.

"Do I really have to go?" Emma moaned while she dragged her feet and followed her mother, Mary Margaret, into her walk-in closet.

"We've been through this, Emma," her mother replied, "Your grandfather is getting married."

"It's weird as fu - it's weird, " Emma corrected herself, "Cora is as old as you! Her daughter is my age."

"And who am I to judge the strange ways of love?"

Emma scoffed. "Love," she mimicked her mother, "The only thing Cora loves is Pop's wallet."

"That's enough," her mother thrusted a dress into Emma's hands, "You will go to the wedding and you will behave. Your father and I raised you to be a polite, well-behaved woman, not this snarky version of yourself."

"You mean a hypocrite."

"Emma…" her mother said in a warning tone. And it was enough for Emma to huff and put on the dress she had in her hands.

The wedding ceremony was short and boring. Cora had insisted on not involving the Church, for which Emma had been grateful, at first. That went away when she saw that Judge Hopper was called to officialize the wedding. The redheaded judge was so dull that Emma almost wished Reverend Gold had been there.

After Cora had officially become her grandmother, Emma stood up and walked towards the bathroom without congratulating her grandfather. She'll have time for that bullshit later - like, every upcoming holiday for the rest of her grandfather's life.

She entered the bathroom and, after closing the door, she leaned against it. "There's not enough alcohol to get me through the day," she let out while rubbing her eyes.

It was then when she heard a chuckle and realized that she was not alone in the restroom.

"It's good to see I'm not the only one who reluctantly came to this wedding."

Emma opened her eyes to see a beautiful woman standing in front of the mirror, fixing her lipstick. Her skin was smooth and sun-kissed and her legs seemed to go forever. Her hair, brown as chocolate, was up in a beautiful hairdo. But it was not until she turned around and their eyes met that Emma knew she was completely in love with the other woman.

"Um - who are you?" Emma asked and pushed herself off the door.

"Is it really necessary?" the brunette answered with a feral grin. "Because the way I see it, the only important thing is that you're bored, I'm bored, and we are in the restroom. Alone."

She didn't have to spell it out for Emma. The blonde launched her body towards the brunette without thinking twice about it, and her lips found their target with no problem, as if they were magnetized to the other woman's lips.

The brunette melted into the kiss, snaking her arms around Emma's neck. Emma, in turn, slid her arms under the brunette's butt-cheeks and lifted her up. She carried the brunette towards the sink, where she placed her gently.

"Fuck," the brunette moaned when Emma started sucking the sensitive spot on her neck. And somehow, Emma inherently knew that the brunette never used crude words like that, and it was a huge turn on. "Don't stop."

"I wasn't planning on stopping," Emma muttered against the brunette's skin.

And, she didn't stop touching, kissing, licking, and worshiping the body in front of her. Neither did the other woman. They took turns pleasuring each other, and one time, they did it together. It was not until they had both reached amazing climaxes, not twice but three times, that they decided to return to the party.

"Do we really need to go back?" Emma whined.

"I'm afraid we do, dear," the brunette fixed one of Emma's loose strands behind one of the blonde's ears, "People might notice we're missing."

After fixing their hairdos and make-up the best they could under the circumstances, they walked out of the bathroom. They returned to the party together but looking around, in case someone spotted them. It was not until they reached the buffet table that someone called her name.

"Oh, Emma, there you are!" her grandfather beamed at her, "And, I see you've already met your new aunt, Regina."

Emma froze in that spot, all the muscles of her body tensing up. Beside her, she heard Regina choke with the appetizers she had just picked up.

"Leopold, please. I'm too young to be Emma's aunt."

"Nonsense," Leopold laughed, but it was Cora who talked, "Besides, from what I hear, Emma could use a good influence in her life."

Emma closed her palms into fists, because, of course, her grandfather had talked about her troubled teenager years to his new wife. And, of course, Regina was the bad girl who never got caught.

"I bet she will be a great influence, _grandma_." Emma replied, knowing how much the moniker would annoy the bride. Then, she turned to Regina. "It was nice meeting you, Auntie," she added before walking away.

Regina could be the most beautiful woman on earth and an excellent fuck, but Emma's life was far better off without the I'm-a-bicurious girl drama.


	2. Gluttony

Luckily for Emma, she didn't see much of Regina after the wedding. Every time she visited her grandfather, she made sure that the brunette was nowhere to be seen, not that it was too hard given that Regina had decided not to live with her mother.

She was tempted to skip Christmas too, knowing that Regina would be there. But her mother had almost killed her when Emma suggested she might go to the Bahamas with her friends for the holidays.

Besides, Emma loved the dishes that were made for Christmas dinner. Christmas dinner was a huge tradition for the Whites. As a kid, Emma never cared about the presents; she only cared about going and eating as much as she could. Not much has changed since then. Only that her parents now got angry when she got sick from eating too much. There were several "You should know better, Emma!" and "You have to learn how to control yourself, Emma!" from the parents.

"Emma, how lovely is to see you," Cora said as she opened her arms to hug her.

"It's good to see you, too, _Grandma_ ," Emma replied with the same amount of fake love in her voice as she hugged the older woman.

"You cleaned up nicely for the occasion," Cora pointed out with a smile. Their relationship was based on passive-aggressive comments and false smiles.

"Yes, well. Got to make my favorite granny proud and all that shit," she added, not caring for her vulgar language. She knew Cora hated that, too.

She smiled at Cora's glare, but before she could continue annoying her, a giggle caught Emma's attention. Emma turned around and saw a young boy covering his mouth.

"Hello," Emma said as she walked towards the boy, "And, who might you be?" she asked, kneeling to be at his level.

"I'm Henwy," he replied. "You said a bad wowd," the boy pointed out, "Mommy hates bad wowds."

He made Emma smile, not only because of his statement but also because of his adorable pronunciation.

"Let's not tell mommy then, alright?" Emma proposed, tickling his belly.

"Are you telling my son to lie to me, Miss Swan?"

Emma grunted and rolled her eyes, because, of course, this adorable boy was Regina's son.

"Regina, wonderful to see you again," Emma stood up and flashed Regina another one of her fake smiles. Regina, however, saw through her empty grin with a raised eyebrow. "So, this is my cousin?" the blonde tried a joke to lighten up the mood.

"No," Regina stated coldly. Then, she turned to Henry, and her face seemed to transform when she looked at the boy, "Henry, wash your hands. Dinner is ready."

Much to her delight, Emma was seated between Henry and her grandfather. Which was great because her parents couldn't lecture her as she swallowed her third serving of whatever-fits-into-her-plate, and she didn't have to listen to anyone but Henry and his endearing obsession with superheroes.

Four slices of chocolate pie later, Emma found herself in the bathroom, emptying her stomach as the rest of her family opened their presents.

"Henry has been asking for you," she heard from across the door.

"Leave me alone," she managed to say before she started puking again.

Naturally, Regina did the opposite to what Emma asked her. She opened the door and locked it behind her.

"Not in the mood or shape for a quickie, Regina," Emma joked as she cleaned her mouth with a piece of toilet paper.

Regina rolled her eyes and helped Emma to her feet, "You shouldn't eat that much."

"Thanks for the unsolicited advice," the blonde rinsed her mouth, "Hey, maybe you and my parents can establish an Emma-Don't-Pig-Out Society."

"You're an idiot," the brunette pointed out.

"And you're nosy."

"I'm just trying to help."

"Right, because I need a good influence in my life."

Regina crossed her arms over her chest, "You're still holding a grudge over that? It's been over six months!"

"It's impossible to forget when your mother loves pointing out how disastrous my life is." Emma answered, "It's like a hobby to her!"

"It's not just your life the one she loves to comment on." Regina looked to the floor, "In fact, ever since I adopted Henry, she'd been telling me how I'm never going to find a suitable partner now."

A part of Emma's brain registered that Regina had used the word 'partner' and not 'husband,' but she wouldn't process that information until much later.

"Oh, trust me," Emma laughed, but it was not a joyful chuckle but a hurtful one, "Henry is the least of your worries when it comes to finding a 'suitable partner,'" and with that said, she walked out of the bathroom.

She only stopped in the living room to notify her parents that she would be celebrating New Year's in the Bahamas with her friends. And then, she left the house.

Her stomach was still feeling uneasy, but somehow, she knew it had nothing to do with the food.


	3. Greed

To quote my beta: "I don't really see how Emma wanting to play Mario Kart several times can be seen as greedy?"... Well, it's not really greed, but I suck at greed and this is the best I could come up with.

* * *

Emma almost didn't believe it when she got invited for Henry's fifth birthday. In fact, she thought it was a prank until she called her grandfather to confirm the invitation.

"I know for fact that the young Henry is quite enamored by you," he replied. He never mentioned the boy's mother, though.

And so, Emma found herself standing in front of a big white door at 108 Mifflin Street with a wrapped package under her arm. Before knocking on the door, she double-checked the address written on her invitation. She didn't hear any sounds from inside the house and it was still too cold to have a party outside in the backyard.

When she heard someone running followed by a "Henry! Don't run down the stairs!" she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The door in front of her was abruptly opened. A mane of brown hair jumped forwards and gave her a bone-crushing hug, yelling, "Emma! You came!"

"Wouldn't - miss - it." Emma managed to say with the little air she had in her lungs.

"Henry, let Miss Swan breathe, please."

Henry reluctantly let go of Emma and gave her a sheepish grin. "Sowy," he said, but the apology didn't reach his eyes.

"No need to apologize, kid," as usual, Emma lowered to his level when speaking to him, "I happen to love tight hugs."

"You do?"

"Mhm," Emma nodded, "Unless, you're Superman or Thor, because then, you'd probably break my ribs."

Henry giggled, "I'm not a superhero."

"Are you sure about that?"

He nodded, "I don't even own a cape."

"Well, that," Emma said, handling him the wrapped package, "Can be fixed."

Henry took the present in his hands and looked up to his mother, silently asking for permission before opening it. Regina's nod was barely visible, but it was enough for Henry to run excitedly into the house, leaving Regina alone with Emma.

"I didn't think you'd come," Regina said as she let Emma into her house.

"I can't say I didn't think it was a joke at first," Emma shrugged, but my grandfather told me it was definitely Henry's birthday. Speaking of which, where are the rest of your guests?" the blonde asked, looking around.

"There was a car accident on the highway so most of Henry's friends are running late," the brunette explained, "And, my mother never comes to his birthdays."

Before Emma could comment on Cora's behavior, Henry came running out of the room from where he had been.

"Mom, mom!" he jumped excitedly. He was carrying a Flash costume in his hands, "Can I put it on?"

He didn't have to beg much. Turns out, Regina is a big softy when Henry asked her for something. Emma couldn't help but grin after realizing how the boy had his mother wrapped around his finger.

Henry's friends came soon after the birthday boy had changed into his new costume. To Emma's surprise, her parents had also been invited to the party.

"She's irritating, but she cares about Henry more than my own mother does," was Regina's reply and Emma decided not to push her.

Emma had stayed until the end, when all of Henry's friends and even her parents left. She had offered her help to Regina with the cleanup, but the brunette asked if she could connect the new Nintendo Henry had received to the TV.

Regina found Emma and Henry playing Mario Kart in the living room when she finished cleaning the mess that her son and his friends made. Emma had her brows furrowed and her tongue sticking out of her mouth.

"I won, _again_!" Henry yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. Then, he turned around and noticed his mom looking at them, "Hey, mom. I've won 24 times."

"I see," Regina commented, amused by both of their antics. She walked towards the sofa, where Emma was sitting as well.

"Let's play another one, kid."

"Again?"

Emma nodded, "Again."

"I have the feeling this has been happening for some time now," Regina pointed out as Henry restarted the race.

Emma didn't unglue her eyes from the TV as she said, "I have to win, at least once."

"You're playing against a five year old."

"I have to win," the blonde repeated.

Regina chuckled and watched the race between Emma and Henry.

Emma didn't win. Not even once. With each loss, she got more and more frustrated. She didn't give up; her desire of winning was above everything else. And, it was not until Regina called it a night and told Henry it was way past his bedtime that Emma set the controller on the table and turn the Nintendo off.

Regina walked her to the door as Henry showered and prepared to go to bed. The two women lingered in silence in the foyer for a while before Regina thanked Emma for coming and kissed her cheek.

"Goodbye, Emma."

"Goodbye, Regina," the blonde answered with a lopsided smile.

As she walked back to her car, the spot on her cheek where Regina had kissed her still felt warm, Emma realized that, even though she lost to Henry countless times, she still felt like a winner.


	4. Sloth

"Emma, would you please help your father with the barbecue?" she heard her mother ask, but she didn't answer. She was simply too comfy in the hammock by the pool.

"Your mom will be pissed," Emma's best friend, Ruby, commented.

"I can't seem to find any fucks to give," she muttered in response.

Fourth of July was one of those holidays that Emma loved to celebrate but hated to actively participate in. It was not that she didn't feel American or that she was not grateful that the United States of America gained its independence from the British. But, July was usually a hot month and the last thing she wanted to do was to help around.

"Emma! The barbecue!" she heard her mother yell.

"Coming!" the blonde yelled in reply, but she knew she was lying. She had no intent whatsoever to stand up and help out.

This was the life, she thought as she continued swinging in the hammock with her eyes closed. She wished she wouldn't have to work and she could have holidays every day till the last day of her life, but she knew that money didn't grow on trees.

She vaguely registered a "CANNONBALL!" scream before water splashed all over her dry body, not only soaking her but also the hammock.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Emma exclaimed and she jumped from the hammock and took her sunglasses of to see who would the dead person after she got to him with her bare hands.

But, the only person in the pool was the sweet, innocent Henry, flashing her a 1000-watts smile.

"Mom was worried you'd get sunburned if you didn't get wet," he said, and Emma couldn't help put noticing how his R's was now perfect and how fast he was growing up.

"Did she now?" she asked the boy with a sly smile. He nodded at her, the smile never disappearing from his face. Sweet and innocent Henry indeed. "Well, you can tell your mom that if she's so worried about my skin, she can come and put lotion on my back." Emma added as she dried her skin with a towel and laid on the dry deck chair next to Ruby.

Surprisingly, Henry got out of the pool and went to tell Regina the message Emma had conveyed him. Ruby and Emma followed Henry with their eyes from their chairs.

"That kid is either really innocent, or really stupid," Ruby pointed out, only to be smacked by Emma.

"Don't talk like that about Henry."

"Oh," Ruby took her sunglasses off and stared at Emma.

"What?"

"Not only you like the mother, you are also falling for the kid."

"The Mills?" Emma huffed, "Please. I can barely tolerate Regina."

"So you say every time you talk about her," Ruby teases her, "Which is pretty much every day."

Emma decided to ignore Ruby and her stupid topic, which was a good idea since Regina joined them a few minutes later with a bottle of sunscreen in her hands.

"SPF 100?" Emma looked at her as if Regina was crazy, "You want me looking like a ghost?"

"I don't want you to have skin cancer."

"Aw, you care," Ruby said in a mocking tone.

"And you are?" Regina asked, scrutinizing every inch of Ruby's body.

"I'm Ruby, Emma's partner in action," she extended her hand towards Regina, but the other brunette didn't shake it.

"What Ruby meant," Emma said, sitting up, because she knew Regina had misunderstood Ruby, "Is that she's my best friend. We are not involved."

Emma's words seemed to make Ruby understand her mistake, because she immediately started talking. "Yeah! Totally. Emma and I never. I'm not even into ladies. Not that I am against lesbian or bisexuals. I like them, just not like-like them. Not like Emma. Oh, I think Mary Margaret is calling me!" she basically word-vomited before standing up and disappearing into the house.

"She's… interesting," Regina pointed out.

"An acquired taste," Emma joked.

She didn't even notice Regina started putting sunscreen on her back until she felt the brunette's hand trailing a little bit under her bikini bottom's elastic band. It reminded her

of that time when they had a moment of passion in a bathroom, during her grandfather's reception. It had been amazing. She wondered if she could have another chance with Regina.

Then, the hands were off her back, and Emma was brought back to reality.

"Alright. We're done," Regina said, her voice sounding a bit huskier, but then she cleared her voice, "I'll see if your mother needs help in the kitchen."

Emma turned around to see Regina walking away from her.

"Regina, wait!" the blonde called when the brunette was close to pool's edge. She walked towards the woman with a smile on her face. Abruptly, she grabbed Regina by the waist and jumped into the pool.

Emma felt Regina snake her arms around Emma's torso as they flew and landed in the cold water. The blonde didn't let go of the other woman until their heads were out of the water, and, even then, Emma kept her hands on Regina's waist.

"I hate you!" Regina said, but there was no venom in her voice.

"What?" Emma pretended to be shocked, "I simply didn't want you to get sunburned."

Regina rolled her eyes but smiled, "You're an idiot."

"Among other things."

They stared each other for a while, their gaze switching between the eyes and lips as their faces closed the little distance that was left between each other. And Regina closed her eyes. And as Emma held her, she leaned closer to her face. Their lips were almost touching when they heard a yell.

"CANNONBALL!"

And, Henry landed in front of them earning a "Henry!" from his mother and a glare from Emma.


	5. Wrath

Emma had stopped trying to avoid Regina, but between their respective jobs, Henry's school, and extracurricular activities, it had been nearly impossible to pick a date that worked with their busy schedules.

It infuriated Emma. She wanted to see the brunette, but her boss had other plans in mind. Emma had to skip all of the Sunday brunches at her grandfather's house because her boss decided that Emma needed to work more on Sundays.

Finally, Thanksgiving came, and Emma took Friday off as well, using the only holiday day she had earned during the past months.

Like the other holidays, Emma loved Thanksgiving. It was all about food and family, her two favorite things. And this year, she also got to celebrate with Regina and Henry - what else could she ask for?

She could barely contain her excitement as Wednesday night went by and Thursday morning came. She knew she had to busy herself during the day or the waiting would eat her alive. She decided to bake a dessert for tonight, which took her most of the morning and a bit of the afternoon because Emma was a mess in the kitchen.

The blonde set an alarm so she wouldn't lose track of time. She decided to work out a bit and take a shower. She was finishing up with her blonde curls just as the alarm went off. Excitedly, she grabbed her coat and the homemade dessert, and jogged towards the parking lot. She drove as fast as it was allowed by the law and the weather, and managed to arrive at her grandfather's house before seven p.m.

Emma recognized her parents' and Regina's car parked in front of the house and smiled at the thought of her family together for their first Thanksgiving.

She was confused when her mother opened the door and shook her head, pursing her lips into a thin line. Without saying a word to her mom, Emma entered the house. It was then when she heard an argument, taking place in another room.

"You had so much potential, and you wasted it all away, for what?" that was unmistakably Cora's voice, "For that?"

"Being a mother is the best thing that has ever occurred to me!" Regina replied, her voice was not as controlled as her mother's.

Emma entered the kitchen, where she found Regina and Cora. The older woman had a glass of wine in her hand, but Emma knew she wasn't drunk just yet. She didn't have the obvious signs on her face. Regina, on the other hand was holding onto the chair's top rail as if her life depended on it.

"Being a mother," Cora laughed and placed the glass on the table. Then, she leaned towards Regina and said in a mocking tone, "He's not even your child!"

And, that was Regina's breaking point, because her hands let go of the rail and one of her hands went to slap Cora. The older woman brought up a hand to the cheek where she had been slapped, not believing what had just happened.

When she finally got over the shock of being hit by her daughter, she raised her hand to return the slap but Emma grabbed her by the wrist. The blonde was standing between mother and daughter, and she was showing no intentions to move or to let go of Cora's hand.

"Who do you think you are?" Cora hissed, trying to wrench her hand free. Holding on the arm for a few tense moments, Emma let go of her hand, not without pushing the older woman with a little bit more force than necessary. The older brunette rubbed her wrist and put on her best fake smile, "Now, be a dear and don't get involved in family business."

Emma laughed, and it was a heavy, scary laugh. "Oh, but don't you see?" the blonde shook her head, "You made it my business the second you signed the marriage contract with my grandfather, Cora." Emma spat her name with so much hate, "You use my grandfather and his money. Fine. It is his money to waste. You insult me. Fine, I can take your shit. But, I draw the line here- you do not get to abuse Regina or Henry."

"And, what will you do? Ask Leopold to divorce me?" she laughs, because she knows how much Leopold loves her, or, at least, lusts after her, "That's not going to happen, dear."

"I don't give two fucks about what you do with my grandfather. But from now on, he'll have to choose whether he spends the holidays with me or with you," the blonde states.

Emma turns around to see a surprised Regina, and it takes all of Emma's willpower to control her urges to kiss Regina right there. Because, there was already enough on Regina's plate with all the problems from Cora and Emma didn't want to add to it. So, instead, she takes Regina's hand and walks out of the kitchen.

She calls for Henry and tells him they will celebrate Thanksgiving somewhere else because they're going on a road trip. And, sweet and innocent Henry, who apparently didn't hear any of the discussion, smiled at her and ran to get his coat.

Her parents look at her. They are not happy, but Emma can see the pride on their faces. And, she knew she made the right decision.

The three of them end up having Thanksgiving dinner at Granny's, the diner where Ruby works. The food is not as good as the dishes back at her grandfather's house, but the looks that Regina keeps giving her are more precious than anything she has ever received in her life.

Regina is happy, and Henry is safe. And Emma, she is thankful.


	6. Envy

Emma didn't like sharing anything that was hers, from toys to her friends. She blames it on the fact that she is an only child, but she has met others who are not as overprotective (Ruby would call it jealousy).

So, it wasn't a surprise to Emma, that when Regina appeared with another blonde to her parents' anniversary, she wanted to burn the whole world down.

Regina seemed so carefree around the other blonde. She laughed so freely and her laughter sounded beautiful. It broke Emma's heart at the same time, because, she wanted to be the reason for Regina's carefree laughter.

She walked away, not even greeting Regina, and went directly to the bar. She motioned the bartender for a drink. "The strongest drink you have," she asked him.

"Tough night?" someone next to her asked. She turned around to see Graham, Ruby's boyfriend.

"Regina brought someone," she pointed out before grabbing the shot that the bartender had placed in front of her and downing it in one sip. She asked for another one.

"And drowning your feelings seems like a good idea, because…?" Ruby asked, sitting on the other side.

"I'm not drowning them," Emma corrected her and drank her second shot, "Just numbing them. Why aren't you two making out or something?"

"Because, we care about you," Graham said, placing a hand on Emma's shoulder.

"And, you need to get laid as well!" Ruby added. She shrugged when her boyfriend gave her a look and they made Emma laugh because, sometimes, she wondered who was in charge of their relationship - probably Ruby. "Oh, look who's coming!"

Before Emma had time to turn around, she heard Regina's voice calling her friend's name, "Ruby."

"Regina," Ruby imitated Regina's cold tone. "Listen, Graham, it's our song. Let's go dance," she took her boyfriend's hand and dragged him to the dance floor.

Emma looked at them with squinted eyes. She knew for a fact that the song playing was not their song, because Ruby had made her listen to Coldplay's 'Amazing Day' far too many times.

"What are you drinking?" Regina asked, looking at the dark brown drink Emma had in front of her with a disgusted face.

"Where's your girlfriend?" was the only thing Emma could blurt out in reply.

"Kathryn?" Regina sounded confused, "I guess she's talking to one of your cousins."

"Well, you wouldn't want any of them sweeping her off her feet. I'd recommend you go to back to her."

"Back to her…" Regina repeated before it all clicked in her mind, "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Emma."

"Who said I was jealous?" Emma inquired. When Regina raised an eyebrow and crooked her head a bit in return, Emma knew Regina could see past her lies. "Alright, I'm jealous. I thought if you'd have a plus one for tonight, it would be me."

"You thought wrong," Regina pointed out, but smiled. Emma, however, didn't see the smile because her eyes were fixed at the drink in front of her.

"Obviously," she hissed before taking a sip of her drink, savoring the taste.

"That's not the only thing you got wrong," Regina added, placing a hand over Emma's. The blonde looked at her. "Kathryn is not my girlfriend, she's my best friend, and Henry's godmother, as well. She's actually here as a favor, I asked her to keep an eye on Henry for the night."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh."

"So, she's not… you're not…" even Emma didn't know what to ask.

"She's not my girlfriend and I'm not in a relationship," Regina answered, "But I would like to be in one."

"You would?"

"Only if it's with an infuriating blonde whom my son seems to love," the brunette stated, "Do you know someone fitting that description?"

Emma scratched her chin and pretended to think, "I don't know, those are pretty specific characteristics. I'll have to think to see if I know someone like that."

"Don't go hurting your brain by thinking too hard," Regina said snaking her arms around Emma's neck, "Now, why don't we go to your old bedroom and fuck each other to oblivion?" she suggested.

"I don't want to fuck you, Regina," Emma replied, placing her hands on Regina's waist. "I want to make love to you. Until you can't think straight anymore," she added before leaning in and claiming Regina's lips for herself.

And, it was as good as the first time they kissed, but ten thousand times better. Because, it wasn't just lust and carnal desire, it was love and hope of a future together. She detached her lips from Regina's and grinned when she saw Regina pout.

"Why did you stop?" Regina said in an almost whining tone and it made Emma giggle because she sounded almost like Henry when he wanted an extra cookie.

"I remember you proposing to have sex in my old bedroom?" the blonde pointed out and stood up from her seat. She took Regina's hand in her own and guided her to the room in which she had slept while growing up.

This night, however, there wasn't much sleeping.


	7. Pride

I can't believe I managed to write the seven prompts in two days! I have to thank my beta, Chris, without her I wouldn't have managed.

And thanks to everyone who read, favorited, followed and reviewed.

* * *

Emma Swan knew how hard it was for Regina to speak up for herself when it came to Cora and her unwanted opinions. It was as if the fierce brunette turned into a helpless child every time her mother opened her mouth.

After the Thanksgiving fiasco, Emma's grandfather asked Emma to apologize to his wife for the sake of the family. She didn't. She promised she'd never repeat her actions if Cora managed to behave in front of Henry and Regina.

It didn't take much for Emma to realize that it wouldn't be possible.

Emma and Regina decided to keep their relationship a secret from Emma's grandfather and Regina's mother for as long as they could. Emma's parents were not happy about lying to the old man, but they respected their daughter's wishes.

However, when Christmas Eve came and Cora invited two suitors, one for Emma and one for Regina, the two women decided it was time for them to come clean with the older couple as well.

"Mother," Regina nervously tapped her fingers against the table, "There's some - "

"Stop drumming your fingers, Regina," Cora interrupted her, "It's not ladylike."

The younger brunette stopped moving her fingers and looked over at Emma, who nodded at her, encouraging her to go on.

"Yes, well. There's something I need to - "

"Sit up straight, Regina!" the older woman interrupted again, "God knows I'll have a heart attack if you'll end up with your father's hunch."

Regina breathed in deeply. "Mother," she sighed.

"Is that the proper way to talk to you mother?" Cora inquired, offended at Regina's poor showing, "You've definitely been spending too much time with Emma. When I suggested for you to be a good influence on her, I didn't quite mean - "

"Would you stop talking and listen to what I've got to say?" Regina interrupted, and it shocked both Cora and Emma. Regina, however, seemed more lucid than ever. Cora nodded. "I am with Emma."

"Yes, that's what I was telling you. You need to start - "

"No, mother. You don't understand. I'm dating Emma. Emma is my girlfriend."

"No, she's not," Cora stated.

"Yes. She is," Regina corrected her mother, not losing her patience.

Cora stood up and walked towards Emma, anger visible in her face. "You corrupted my daughter!" the older woman exclaimed as she slapped Emma.

The slap took Emma by surprise. It was not until Regina walked towards her and commented on her nose was bleeding a little that the blonde realized how hard she had been struck. The brunette took a towel and cleaned the blood from Emma's face. Then, she turned around and looked at her mother.

"Now, listen carefully, mother," Regina spoke in a menacing tone, "I love Emma, I've been in love with her for a long time. And I will not allow you to hurt her in anyway," She raised a finger towards her mother, "I've tried to hard to make you proud, I gave up some of my dreams so you could be happy, but I'm never good enough. So I'm done. I'm done with you and your ridiculous ideas."

And with that, she turned around and checked on Emma's nose one more time before grabbing the blonde's hands and tried to get out the kitchen when Leopold intercepted them.

"So, you two are together?" the man asked.

"Yes. Do you also have a problem with that?" Regina demanded.

The old man shifted his gaze from the feisty brunette to his granddaughter. "Does she make you happy?" he asked, and Emma's face lightened up with a huge grin that couldn't be hidden behind the towel.

"Yes, Pops. She makes me the happiest person in the world."

"Then, you have my blessing," he replied, placing one hand on Emma's shoulder and another on Regina's, "I understand if you want to leave tonight, but I hope to see you both tomorrow."

"We'll stay, but please make sure your wife behaves," Regina commented, before she walked out the kitchen and into the dinning room, where Mary Margaret and David jumped to hug both ladies, letting them know how proud they were.

Emma didn't comment on Regina's behavior until later that night, after they had placed Henry's presents under the tree and make it seem as if Santa had been there. They were lying in Regina's bed, the brunette nested against the blonde's chest, when Emma spoke.

"You were great with your mother tonight."

"I think I might have overreacted."

"No, you didn't. You stood up for yourself, for us," Emma commented. "It made me so proud I wanted to kiss you right there," she added before pressing her lips against Regina's forehead, "By the way, I love you too."


End file.
